Fountain-pen



(No Model.) 1

0. P. GRANT.

FOUNTAIN PEN.

No. 416,293. Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

WIINEEEIEE INVENIUH N PETERS. PhowLiuw m hur. Washinghm. o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

osc R F. GRANT, or PI'ITSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOUNTAIN-PEN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,293, dated December3, 1889.

Application filed February 9, 1889. Serial No. 299,287. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OSCAR F. GRANT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFountain-Pens; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention has relation to fountainpens, and has for its object theprovision of a novel construction of point-holder or plug andink-feeder, whereby a steady and uniform supply of ink to the writingpoint or nib is insured and the feeder or plug adapted to all ordinaryshapes and sizes of writing points or nibs.

My invention consists in the novel construction and combination of partshereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central section ofa fountain-pen embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a perspective viewof preferred form of feeder.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of feeder. complete. e.

In carrying my invent-ion into effect I use any suitable style ofholder-such as a hollow stem or tube A, of hard rubber, celluloid, orother material, open at both ends and provided with a soft-rubber ballI) or other means for producing suction, so as to fill the tube orfountain Awhen the lower end is dipped into the ink supply or bottle. Inthe lower end Fig. 4 is a side view of pen of the tube A is fitted aplug B, consisting of a short tubular sect-ion, which constitutes thesupport and retaining device for the nib or writing-point which isinserted in the space between the plug and case A. A portion a of theplug projects beyond the end of the case A, and this extension is animportant feature, the purpose being to avoid the necessity in fillingthe holderA of dipping the latter in theink, as well as to carry the inkdown nearer the writing-point than would be possible if the plug weremade flush with the end of the holders. This projecting port-ion of theplug should be hollowed out, as shown at c, to accommodate the sunkenportion of the Falcon pen, preferred by many writers, and for the use ofwhich in fountain-pens no provision, so far as I am aware, has hithertobeen made.

D designates the ink feeder, which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, consistsof a strip or rod of hard rubber or other material, of square orrectangular form in cross-section, and of a size to snugly fit thecircular hole through the plug B. At its lower end the feeder is cut orbent laterally, as shown at I, and then continued lengthwise in the formof a tapered tongue 6 in the direction of the point of the pen, againstthe inner or under surface of which it impinges when in position.

The stem 1) of the feeder is of sufficient length to extend somedistance up into the reservoir-space of the holder A. The spaces left onthe four sides between the feeder and the plug Bare to provide channelsfor the passage of the ink up into the reservoir in filling the latter.They also serve, when the pen is in use, to admit air into thereservoir.

The stem of the feeder is split in the direc; tion of its lengthfrom theupper end to a point immediately back of the bend or shoulder I, whereit intersects at right angles another cut or perforation proceeding inthe direction of the bent portion through the latter from the outerextremity of the bend. The tongue 6 is channeled lengthwise on its upperor outer surface, as indicated at g, and by reason of the taper orwedge-like shape of the tongue this channel extends through the latterat its extremity, dividing the point of the tongue into two and forminga space which will accumulate sufficient ink to cause the pen to writeas soon as touched to paper. The intersecting cuts, perforations, andchannels through the feeder provide passages for the constant flow ofink from the reservoir to the writing-point; but as they are very narrowand small at points of intersection they prevent the too rapid fiow ofthe ink, and only furnish a supply according as the channel in thetongue of the feeder becomes exhausted.

In making and adapting the feeder to the plug its stem is first split inthe direction of its length, and the two halves are spread apart and setto remain so. Vhen the feeder is inserted in the plug, the two halvesspring apart and hold the feeder in place by pressure against the wallsof the plug.

The stem of the feeder is made longer than the plug for tworeasonsfirst, to admit of the feeder being adjusted to suit differentlengths of pens, and, second, so as to extend sufiiciently far up intothe ink-reservoir to reach the main body of the ink in case the inkshould be suspended in the fountain by reason of adhesion to the sidesabove the plug.

It will be observed that my improvement contemplates a novelconstruction and arrangement of parts wherein the writing point or nibis entirely independent of the feeder, and that while an ystyle, size,or shape of pen may be used it may be removed and replaced with facilityand without disturbing either the plug orthe feeder.

In other fountain-pens using ordinary detachable nibs the writing-penhas either been attached to or held in place by the feeder or by somesupplementary device, which either prevents the pen from being detachedinde-. pendently or renders the feeder a permanent fixture incapable ofremoval or adjustment. In my pen the feeder is readily adjustable orentirely removable without disturbing the pen, and can therefore belengthened orshortened to suit long or short pens. Again, thewriting-pen in my improvement is in the most convenient position foruse, being fitted outside the plug and entirely above or outside thefeeder; hence there can be no danger of the ink encroaching on theholder or on such parts of the writing-point as would cause it to blot,spill, or soil the fingers.

While I have described above one special form of feeder, I may use otherformsas, for instance, that shown in Fig. 3, wherein a hole is boredthrough the otherwise solid stem and meets the slit cut through thebend.

A variety of feeders within the spirit of my invention are susceptibleof use in connection with the tubular plug and independent writing-nib,and need not be specially described.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a fountain-pen, the combination, with a tubular reservoir orfountain-holder, of a tubular plug fitting inside the end of the holderand a detachable feeder fitting within said plug and extending into thereservoir, said plug and holder being constructed and arranged,substantially as described, so as to admit between them ,thewriting-nib, as set forth.

2. In a fountainpemthe combination, with a tubular reservoir orfountain-holder, of a hollow plug having'a plain exterior surfacefitting the end of the holder and a feeder fi'tting within anddetachable from said plug, a space being provided between the plug andholder for the reception of the writing-point, substantially as setforth.

3. In a fountain-pen, the com bination, with the tubular holder forminga fountain orreservoir and the hollow plug constituting a holder orclamp for the writing-point, of the feeder consisting of the rod D,having the bend d and channeled tapering tongue e, said rod being splitin the direction of its length, and said bend out toward and at rightangles with said split and intersecting thesam'e, substantially as setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this26th day of January, 1889.

o. F. GRANT.

Witnesses:

LOUIS MOESER, FRANK MARLIER.

